Last week, I met with a woman in HR at a local news station I grew up watching. I was excited to talk to her about the journalism experience I have -- my work as a stringer for The New York Times, the months I spent editing video for CBS News, the year I spent writing and photographing ten stories a week for Long Islander Newspapers.
Instead, we talked about my face, my hair, my voice. We talked about makeup -- I need to work harder to accentuate my cheek bones and to make my eyes pop.
We talked about my "babyface," as she pointed at the computer screen to show it to me, in case I hadn't seen it before.
As she walked me out, she finally thought to ask me if I knew how to shoot and edit video.
If journalism is dying, it's not because people are reading on their iPads; it's because the first thing we talk about in meetings about jobs in news is the way we look.
Appearance and presentation are a hugely important part of reporting for broadcast news. A TV news reporter must present the news with authority. A TV news reporter must be someone viewers will trust and believe and turn to in times of crisis.
But television news should not be about perception of trust; it should be about worthiness of trust.
When did superficiality surpass smarts? When did a job in broadcast news become an acting role?
News reporting is about accuracy and tenacity in reporting. It is about persistence and instinct and healthy heaps of skepticism. Or it should be.
I have to wonder if a man would have been asked the same questions. His face and hair are important, too, but would they have been prime talking points?
Ask me about my work. Ask me about the two college majors I completed in three and a half years, or the four internships I turned into two post-grad jobs.
Ask me why people should trust me. Ask me why I should be communicating the news. Ask me about familiarity with editing software.
Ask me why I wanted to meet in the first place. Ask me why you should give me a chance. Ask me why you should invest in me.
I'll get a haircut later.
Instead, we talked about my face, my hair, my voice. We talked about makeup -- I need to work harder to accentuate my cheek bones and to make my eyes pop.
We talked about my "babyface," as she pointed at the computer screen to show it to me, in case I hadn't seen it before.
As she walked me out, she finally thought to ask me if I knew how to shoot and edit video.
If journalism is dying, it's not because people are reading on their iPads; it's because the first thing we talk about in meetings about jobs in news is the way we look.
Appearance and presentation are a hugely important part of reporting for broadcast news. A TV news reporter must present the news with authority. A TV news reporter must be someone viewers will trust and believe and turn to in times of crisis.
But television news should not be about perception of trust; it should be about worthiness of trust.
When did superficiality surpass smarts? When did a job in broadcast news become an acting role?
News reporting is about accuracy and tenacity in reporting. It is about persistence and instinct and healthy heaps of skepticism. Or it should be.
I have to wonder if a man would have been asked the same questions. His face and hair are important, too, but would they have been prime talking points?
Ask me about my work. Ask me about the two college majors I completed in three and a half years, or the four internships I turned into two post-grad jobs.
Ask me why people should trust me. Ask me why I should be communicating the news. Ask me about familiarity with editing software.
Ask me why I wanted to meet in the first place. Ask me why you should give me a chance. Ask me why you should invest in me.
I'll get a haircut later.
